Twilight Sparkle: [reading] The magical properties of this spell will only have lasting effects if you focus on—

Rainbow Dash: Yeah! [laughs]

Twilight Sparkle: No! Rainbow Dash! [grunts] How in Equestria does that pony expect to pass her history of the Wonderbolts exam tomorrow if she's wasting time flying?! I'm just gonna fly right up to her and tell her what I think about her lackadaisical approach to studying! Won't she be surprised!

Rainbow Dash: I saw you giving me the stink-eye from the ground and heard you flying towards me and muttering from a mile away.

Twilight Sparkle: Well, if you heard me "muttering", then you must know what I was "muttering" about.

Rainbow Dash: Yeah, yeah, the Wonderbolts history test. No big deal.

Twilight Sparkle: No. Big deal. Really big deal. It's a test! A test that will determine if you can join the newly-formed Wonderbolts Reserves, and being part of the Wonderbolts Reserves means you'll have the opportunity to live your dream as a Wonderbolt! This is the most important test of your life!

Rainbow Dash: Twilight, not everypony gets all freaked out about tests like you.

Twilight Sparkle: Fine, I may tend to take my tests a little seriously, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't be studying for yours! Oooh! And I know just the pony who can help you: me! This is gonna be so much fun!

Rainbow Dash: Okay, but how am I supposed to get what's in there into here?

Twilight Sparkle: With my handy-dandy study checklist, of course!

Rainbow Dash: Of course.

Twilight Sparkle: First up, reading and highlighting. Reading and highlighting is the foundation of any good study method. It allows the student to hone in and boil down on what's really important, separating the good from the bad, the wheat from the chaff, getting to the crux of things. Let's see what you've got so far!

Rainbow Dash: Um...

Twilight Sparkle: Huh? Hm, by highlighting everything, you don't really separate the wheat from the chaff... Or the good from the bad. Hey, I am not that tall!

Rainbow Dash: [giggles]

Twilight Sparkle: [sighs] Okay, Rainbow, clearly reading and highlighting is not your style of studying, so let's move on to the tried and true: History lecture! Yes, Rainbow?

Rainbow Dash: Is it snack time?

Twilight Sparkle: No.

Rainbow Dash: Recess?

Twilight Sparkle: No.

Rainbow Dash: [sighs] Can't we just watch the history of the Wonderbolts movie?!

Twilight Sparkle: No! Now, just get comfortable, and experience the magic of learning. Ahem. Prior to the great Celestia/Luna rift, there was no need for the Earth, Unicorn, Pegasi, or E.U.P., Guard.

Rainbow Dash: [sighs]

[stool creaks and thuds]

Twilight Sparkle: But after Luna's banishment, the Protective Pony Platoons were formed. On the anniversary of the first Celestial year of peace, a celebration was held.

[stool continues creaking]

Owlowiscious: [starts hooting, continues under]

Spike: [starts drumming, continues under]

Twilight Sparkle: Headed by General Firefly, an elite team of aerial performers were chosen to help celebrate this auspicious occasion. The first performance was so full of energy, so highly charged, that magical lightning showered down on the crowd. Everypony was so filled with amazement and wonder that General Firefly dubbed them "the Wonderbolts"!

Twilight Sparkle: A spit wad to the eye would have been no laughing matter!

[snap]

Twilight Sparkle: Well, if you can horse around like this, then you clearly must be ready for the test.

Rainbow Dash: Clearly.

Twilight Sparkle: Well then, I guess you're also ready for a...

[teleporting noise]

Twilight Sparkle: Pop quiz!

Rainbow Dash: Bring it!

[teleporting noise]

Twilight Sparkle: The initials E.U.P. stand for what?

Rainbow Dash: Ernie's undercooked pancakes.

Twilight Sparkle: The original aerial team performed for...?

Rainbow Dash: Celestia's cereal celebration.

Twilight Sparkle: The Wonderbolts were given their name by this famous Pegasus. Who is she? [to herself] Please don't say Colonel Waffle...

Rainbow Dash: Hello? General Blazing Donut Glaze! [scoffs] So, did I ace it or what?

Twilight Sparkle: Or what. You didn't get one answer correct.

Rainbow Dash: What? But– but how?

Twilight Sparkle: I don't know. I've never heard answers so wrong! And so breakfast-related!

Rainbow Dash: [stomach growls]

Twilight Sparkle: If you had taken the official test today...

Rainbow Dash: [gasps] My dreams of being in the Wonderbolts Reserve would have been totally crushed! [gasps] What am I gonna do? I'm running out of time! I don't know any of this history! I'm gonna fail!

Rarity: I am going to ignore that comment out of my desire to help you.

Rainbow Dash: Good luck.

Rarity: Get ready, Rainbow Dash, for I am going to take you on an historical adventure in fashion! I am now modeling the rather unattractive, and frankly itchy, original Wonderbolts flying costume. Fortunately, thanks to the vision of Flair d'Mare, the Wonderbolts ensemble became more streamlined in a wonderfully breathable fabric. Of course, there were fashion hits... and misses. Just look at those dreadful bell-bottoms. What were ponies thinking?

Pinkie Pie: I dunno. I bet General Flash rocked these thangs!

Rainbow Dash: [yelps] Pinkie, you're real!

Pinkie Pie: Of course I'm real! I mean I'm not the real General Flash, the tenth leader of the Wonderbolts, but I, Pinkie, am really real.

Fluttershy: And I'm Admiral Fairy Flight, from the seventh squadron.

Twilight Sparkle: And of course you recognize Commander Easyglider.

Applejack: And I'm sportin' some sort of getup worn by Colonel Purple Dart.

Rainbow Dash: I know. You were jabbering on so much you didn't even notice.

Twilight Sparkle: But how did you notice? You were listening and talking to me the whole time!

Rainbow Dash: Ha-hah, you're such a rookie. An experienced flyer like me knows how to multitask.

Twilight Sparkle: While you fly?

Rainbow Dash: It's essential! Yes, I was paying attention to you, but was also scanning the sky and the ground for any problems.

Twilight Sparkle: Really?

Rainbow Dash: Flying's not just flying!

[sound of VHS rewinding]

Rainbow Dash: In order to stay safe in the sky, I've got to hear and see everything down to the littlest details. For instance, I saw Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo come out of Sugarcube Corner, and from the looks of it, they had carrot cupcakes with sprinkles. And I'm thinking Big Mac sold a huge order of apples to Filthy Rich, 'cause I heard him give a very hearty—

Big McIntosh and Rainbow Dash: "Eeyup".

Rainbow Dash: I always make note of everything when I fly. No biggie.

Twilight Sparkle: [gasps] Oh, my gosh!

Rainbow Dash: What?

Twilight Sparkle: Gotta go!

Rainbow Dash: Yeah, I get it. I wouldn't want to hang out with a loser like me either. [sad groan]

Rainbow Dash: [sighs] Nothing important. Except after Luna was banished to the moon, Celestia needed protective forces, so Earth, unicorn, and Pegasi formed the E.U.P. Guard of the Protective Pony Platoons.

Twilight Sparkle: Yes...?

Rainbow Dash: [getting happier] And, at the celebration of the first Celestial year of peace, an elite flying squadron performed, headed by General Firefly, who later named the group the Wonderbolts!

Twilight Sparkle: Uh-huh...?

Rainbow Dash: Commander Easyglider established flight choreography that is still used by the Wonderbolts today!

Twilight Sparkle: Yes!

Rainbow Dash: I... I know the history! I know it all! But how in Equestria did that happen?

Twilight Sparkle: You learned it!

Rainbow Dash: Yeah, I got that! But how?

Twilight Sparkle: Well, on our first flight, I discovered that you catalog everything that happens all around you when you're flying, without even thinking about it! Don't you see?

[sound of VHS rewinding]

Twilight Sparkle: I made use of your special skills by enlisting everypony to help you learn the history of the Wonderbolts!

Twilight Sparkle: You're welcome, but it all came from you. You learned without knowing you're learning. Your main focus is flying, but then your brain is also absorbing lots of other information! It's actually really brilliant!

Rainbow Dash: Ha, I always knew I was brilliant!

Main cast: [laughing]

Twilight Sparkle: Rainbow Dash finally learned the history of the Wonderbolts, but she's not the only pony that needed a lesson; I needed to learn something just as important. One way of learning isn't better than another. After all, every pony is unique and individual.